


Zevran Arainai 100 Prompt Challenge

by TheAssassinLover



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: 100 prompt challenge, Angst, Attempted Rape, Developing Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Some Sex, character death in some chapters, past relationship with tamlen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-25 18:46:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 24
Words: 6,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6206347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAssassinLover/pseuds/TheAssassinLover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>100 prompts revolving around Zevran.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginning

In the beginning she didn’t know what to make of the assassin. Zevran has tried to kill her and then immediately sworn loyalty after being defeated. Just how strong that loyalty was she didn’t know. For the first month that he traveled in her party she kept a close eye on him, especially if he was anywhere near their food.

After that she became more lenient. She accepted that if he hadn’t killed her by now he wasn’t going to. That was when things started to change. Lyna wasn’t sure when, but at some point her harmless attraction developed into a desire.

She would have thoughts that were unbecoming of her. At first she was ashamed, but eventually she stopped caring. That’s why when Zevran made the offer of a massage, and if the opportunity arose more she jumped on it.

Deep down she always knew that it was only the beginning.


	2. Love

Lyna wasn’t sure exactly when it had happened, but one day she just knew. It was as normal as any other day. The party went about their journey, traveling for the day and taking out any pods of darkspawn they came across. It was later in the camp that she noticed. Having finished her dinner she sat near her tent making minor repairs to her armor. She glanced up and Zevran caught her gaze.

Her heart fluttered in her chest as she smiled at him and suddenly she froze in realization. Her mind raced through her time with Zevran, all the moments they had shared good or bad, and then it clicked. Somewhere down the line she had fallen in love with him.

While her mind was spaced off Zevran had approached her. “Dear Lyna, you appear to have seen a ghost. Is something wrong?”

She blinked at him. “Wha-no, no I’m fine.” She recovered shakily.

Zevran smirked at her and ran his fingers up her hips. “Perhaps you need a distraction. It is a service I can provide, no?”

Venna returned the expression. “Oh I don’t know about that. I’ve had better.” She slid forward until she was sat upon his lap.

“Hmm, perhaps I should try harder then.” Was his response before he closed his mouth over hers. Lyna tangled a hand in his hair and ran another up his chest. Yes, there was no doubt in her mind how she felt. She knew Zevran could likely never return the feeling, but Creators help her she had fallen for the damned Antivan assassin.

For her things that night seemed even more passionate than usual.


	3. Hate

“I hate this.” Lyna’s voice broke through the otherwise silent camp. She and Zevran had taken the first shift, and everyone else was asleep around them.

“What exactly dear warden?” Zevran asked looking over at her. He hadn’t been traveling with their group long, and the warden was an interesting woman.

“All of… _this_.” She waved her hand in emphasis. “The darkspawn, the constant traveling and fighting, always having to watch our backs for fear someone will try to kill us.” She gave him a meaningful look with that last part. “It’s tiring and makes me extremely homesick. I miss my clan, my friends, I miss…” She stopped herself suddenly, thoughts of Tamlen coming unbidden to her. “I just want this to be over.”

Things were silent once more until Zevran spoke. “It has been my experience that hating something will only make it worse. One needs to look for a new angle, and find a way to make the situation more enjoyable.” He told her quietly.

“Your idea of making something more enjoyable ends in someone’s bed Zevran.” She replied dryly. “Not exactly my idea of better.”

Zevran laughed softy. “True as that may be warden, there must be something else for you to focus on rather than your hate. Look for that and you may notice things get easier. This blight will not last forever, and I’m sure you will see your clan again.”

Lyna turned away from him so he couldn’t see her smile. “Maybe you’re right. Thank you Zevran.” Perhaps she didn’t hate all of her situation as much as she let on.


	4. Dark

Lyna had never cared for the dark. It was childish she knew, but even with her clan she had refused to sleep alone. Usually it was Tamlen who kept her company, but her clan was no longer near her and Tamlen was dead. She was alone. Since becoming a warden she had grown use to sleeping without the comfort of another. The nightmares that plagued her were a result of the taint instead of her fear. She found comfort in that knowledge, strange as it may seem.

Still, she never slept all that well. She was always up at dawn and the others noticed, though none of them said anything. So when she slept hours into the day many of them wondered what had changed. Lyna herself had been surprised though unlike them she knew what the difference had been. Zevran had fallen asleep the night before, and hadn’t left her tent. The comfort of another body beside her had helped her sleep through the night and then some.

She was unsure if the elf knew he had something to do with the change, but judging by his smirk he did. Later that night Lyna told him of her fear. About how she never slept well when she was alone. He laughed slightly and she was a little disheartened by it. Until the next morning when she noticed the sun peaking into her tent and the man laying beside her and she realized perhaps the dark wasn’t so terrible after all. Zevran stayed.


	5. Light

Tamlen had been a light in her life.

If she need comfort, someone to talk to, even just the presence of another beside her he was there. He had been her best friend nearly from the time she was born, but now he was gone forever. Having him appear in the camp, to see what had become of him hurt more than she had thought possible.

What hurt more was when he told her he’d always loved her.

Lyna had loved him too, at one point. It had been months since she had come to terms with his death however, and in that time she had moved on. In a way it felt like she had betrayed him. Sighing she sat alone at the edge of camp. She needed time to think.

As she thought of comfort her mind wandered to another elf she had grown close to. Zevran was her closest companion. He was willing to listen when she needed to get things off her chest, he didn’t question or judge her decisions, and he was a very attentive lover. Thinking of the Antivan brought a smile to her lips despite the day’s events, and that was when she realized something else.

She could move past Tamlen, because she had a new Light in her life.


	6. Memory

Lyna had many memories, and she would share them with Zevran the same way he shared his with her. Some of them were good. Ones where she snuck off at night to sit at the edge of camp with the statue of Fen’harel, and the few times he and some of the other boys would sneak cakes from the kitchen.Others weren’t so cheerful or silly, the one where he was sold off to the Crows, or when her foster grandmother died. Then there were the ones neither wished to discuss.

It took a long time for them to open up to each other enough to discuss their darkest moments. Zevran told her about his last mission as a Crow. The one where Taliesen suspected Rinna of betrayal and convinced Zevran she needed to die. What she had said to him in her final moments, and how he had treated her. Lyna’s heart had hurt for him when he told her his story. His reluctance to speak of it made so much more sense to her.

In return, Lyna told him of her last days with the clan. How she had gone hunting with Tamlen even though she was supposed to be helping master Ilen. About finding the cave with the ancient elven architecture mixed in with that of the humans, and how despite her pleas Tamlen wanted to explore the area. She choked on her words slightly when she got to the part about the mirror, but continued none the less. She told him about seeing Duncan and waking up days later only to hear that there had been no sign of Tamlen. That Duncan told her even if they did find him that there was no hope.

Lyna kept the feelings that she had for her fellow clanmate to herself, but Zevran knew based on her story and what had happened when the camp had been attacked. The two of them sat in a comforting silence after that. They allowed their minds to go through the memories of the past one last time before looking to the future. They had each other now, and they were determined to make new memories to replace the old.


	7. Innocence

Sometimes she wondered what became of her innocence. When her blade cut down a foe, when the choice she made resulted in a hundred deaths, in the late hours of the night as she lay under an ex-assassin clawing his back and vocalizing her pleasure.

Sometimes she would think back to the young girl who looked up to her keeper and elders, the one who went running in the woods with Tamlen, who foolishly followed her best friend into one of the worst situations of her life.

Her days revolved around the unknown. Never knowing what life changing decision could be lurking around the next corner. Her thoughts walked the steps of a life she could have lived, one where Tamlen didn’t die, where she had been bonded and become the hunter she was supposed to be. Lyna more often than not pushed the thoughts away, not wishing to dwell on what could have been.

Then one night as she writhed beneath Zevran moaning and gasping as his teeth raked down her body she buried the thought completely. When her legs locked around him and she cried out she made her decision.

There was no room in this life for innocence.


	8. Crossroads

Lyna found herself at a crossroads as she stared at the assassin in front of her. Taliesen was dead, and Zevran was free of the Crows. Yet here he was asking her to stay and continue fighting the blight. She had a choice to make, keep him here to help, or let him go on his way. She thought of everything that had occurred over the past few months. She had gone from viewing Zevran as a threat to seeing him as a friend and taking him as a lover. Did she want him to leave? No, definitely not.

But the true question was, did he truly want to stay?

Finally, Lyna turned from him cursing her wandering mind. “What you do now is up to you Zev.” Her shaky sigh wasn’t unnoticed by the Antivan. “Know that I do not wish for you to leave.”

A part of her was disappointed when he didn’t offer any form of physical comfort though another part wasn’t surprised. “Dear Lyna, for the moment there is no other place I would rather be.”

For now, those words were enough. Lyna walked away feeling lighter than usual.


	9. Happiness

Lyna hadn’t truly been “happy” since she had left her clan. She had her bouts of the emotion of course, but had she felt it completely and wholly? No.

Alistair was always happy, and because of this, she doubted he ever noticed her unhappiness. That was why she was so surprised when Zevran called her out on it. The rest of the party minded their business and hadn’t questioned her, but the Antivan had. “A beautiful woman such as yourself should smile more often.” It would be a lie to say his words hadn’t colored her face, but the feeling was fleeting at best.

“I’ve nothing to smile about Zevran.” She had responded before walking away without another word.

The elf was persistent in his efforts,though. He would give her constant compliments in hopes of glimpsing even the smallest curve of her lips. Sometimes he was closer than she believed he realized. Then one night he approached her in the camp saying he had something to show her. As he led her through the woods she started to wonder if this was such a good idea. “You aren’t dragging me out here to kill me are you?” She asked suspiciously.

He chuckled. “No dear warden, I daresay that would end even worse for me than you.” As the words left his lips he pressed through a thick patch of bushes and she gasped as she followed him. “I remember you said something about a pond your clan visited when you were younger, and how the moon’s reflection had made you smile.” He said smirking at her.

Lyna did more than smile, she laughed. The pond he had found looked very similar to the one she remembered. Turning towards the other elf she wrapped her arms around him surprising them both. She didn’t care however.

For the first time in months, she was happy.


	10. Rejection

“…there are other things for you to focus on besides me I am certain, do those!”

Lyna sat in her tent with clenched fists as she stared unseeingly at the ground. Though her eyes misted over she refused to let herself cry, not over the Antivan. What had happened, what she had done, she didn’t know. Zevran had just suddenly decided she was and unworthy bed partner she assumed. After all, it wasn’t as though they made vows to each other or anything.

She choked on a dry sob as she slowly lost the battle with her emotions. She loved the former assassin, not that she had ever been foolish enough to tell him that. Still, his words stung and left her feeling bitter.

Lyna had come to the conclusion that Zevran simply didn’t want her anymore. From what he had told her she was probably the longest lover he’d ever had. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if he found himself wishing for another.

Yes, that had to be it. Fine. If that was the case Lyna would just let him go on believing he never had any effect on her at all. She hardened her heart towards him as a cold stone fist of rejection closed itself around her.


	11. Sorrow

Zevran didn’t know what to do. This feeling, it was unlike anything he’d ever felt. A feeling like he would never be whole again. He looked at the motionless women in his arms. Her features were relaxed, almost as though she was asleep, but he knew the truth.

She told him this could happen. Came to him the night before, but that didn’t make it hurt less. He had seen her run at the Archdemon, grab a discarded sword and go for the kill. In the moment his heart had frozen. He tried to move towards her but the force of the Archdemon’s death had pushed him back. When he had regained himself she was gone, lying beside the monster that had taken her from him.

His eyes clenched shut as he held her closer to him. “Te amo Lyna.” He whispered quietly. “I love you.”

He hadn’t said the words to her while she still lived, and he regretted that more anything he had done in his life. When the others came to take her from him he reluctantly let her go.

At her funeral, he was only half aware of his surroundings as he drowned in his sorrow.


	12. Scar

“How did you get this?” Zevran asked quietly running a finger over a long, jagged white scar that ran along Lyna’s back. The fire outside the tent let in just enough light for it to stand out against her skin.

Lyna let out a contented sigh at the feeling. “Hunting accident shortly before I received my vallaslin. It was the last trip I took before becoming a full hunter. A bear attacked our group. We hadn’t seen it coming and it swiped at my back. Left me bed ridden for a week.” She told him quietly. Zevran hummed under his breath. “That…doesn’t bother you does it?” She asked turning to face him.

“Dear Lyna if things such as scars bothered me I would find myself in a very depressing situation.” Was his response as he rolled her so he hovered over her. “In fact, I happen to find them quite attractive.” His voice had lowered and it made Lyna shiver.

“Is that so?” She asked slyly running a hand down his chest. He just smirked down at her before his lips met hers. He wondered what other scars he could find.


	13. Pain

Lyna screamed as the arrow was removed from her hip, cried as its barbed edges tore the skin further, as the poisoned tip burned her skin. Her vallaslin had hurt, but not enough for her to cry out. That was the test of adulthood after all. This, _this_ was unlike anything she had ever experienced.

Sten and Alistair held her down to keep her from jerking as Zevran broke the shaft on the one that had fully pierced her leg. He pulled it out quickly and Lyna screamed again. “Lo siento mi amor.” Zevran whispered quietly.

In her haze of focus Lyna could vaguely feel pain from pressure being placed over the wounds. Zevran sent Alistair to find some plant or other and Lyna’s eyes began to blur. As she fell unconscious she could hear Zevran shouting for her.

As Lyna came to she shifted slightly only to wince and fall still again. She sighed realizing she wouldn’t be moving anywhere for a while. For the hundredth time she wished bandits were like darkspawn so she could sense them. Moving her hand had her pausing when she realized it wasn’t empty. She turned her head to look next to her and her features softened. Zevran sat beside her bedroll and had fallen asleep in an awkward position. Lyna squeezed as much pressure as she could manage onto his hand. Being the light sleeper that he is Zevran began to stir.

When his tired eyes met her open ones his expression was one of surprised relief. “Lyna,” He whispered quietly as he stroked her cheek. “I thought…”

She smiled warily at him. “It takes more than some bandits to kill me Zev.” Her voice came out scratchy and she wondered just how long she had been sleeping. “The pain was nearly unbearable, but the thought of being without you, even in the beyond hurt far more.”

Zevran smirked at her. “I see.” He leaned down to press his lips to hers. “I’ll keep that in mind.”


	14. Family

Neither of them spoke of family too often. With Zevran’s mother dying in childbirth and him being raised by whores, and her mother abandoning her after her father was killed neither really had anything fond to share. Sure the other women and children had treated Zevran like family up until he was sold to the Crows, and she had the rest of her clan, but it wasn’t quite the same.

That’s probably why Lyna was so worried when she found out she was pregnant. There shouldn’t have been anything to worry about, the Archdemon was dead, the Mother as well, yet the very idea of motherhood frightened her.

That's why when Zevran returned he found her curled up on the bed crying. He was at her side in an instant holding her to him. “Amor, what is wrong?”

Lyna rubbed at her eyes. “Zev I…” She clung to him and sobbed. When she finally calmed down he stroked her back patiently waiting for her to continue. “It’s a stupid thing to be upset about, but…” She took a deep breath. “Zev I’m pregnant.” Zevran froze and moved her back to look at her. “I know we never spoke of this, and I don’t even know if you want it but…” He cut her off by kissing her.

“Dear Lyna, of course I want it. This child, it’s a result of what we have.” He paused looking at her. “You were upset though, do…do you want it amor?”

“Of course I do!” She corrected quickly. “I just…” She sighed. “I was abandoned when I was a baby and…your mother died in childbirth. What if we can’t give this child a proper family Zev? It scares me to think we could mess up as badly as our parents.”

“Mi amor, you would sooner die than abandon this child, as would I, and you survived an Archdemon. It will take more than motherhood to kill you.” Zevran comforted her.

“Do you really think we can do this? Be parents?” She asked him.

“I do.”

She smiled at him. “Okay, we can do this. Together.”

Zevran placed his hand on her stomach. “We’ll give them the family we never had.”


	15. Clouds

Lyna always liked the clouds. When she was younger she and the other children would lie on their back and see what shapes could be found up in the sky. It remained on of her favorite pass times to this day, and she found it to be a good way to take her mind off of things. One day after the party had stopped for a break she wandered a little ways away and laid down in the grass to stare at the sky.

“Are you able to see what no one else can up there amor?” Zevran’s voice startled her but she didn’t jump like she would have with anyone else. His voice held a calming factor for her.

“No, I just like to stare at the clouds.” She told him not looking away from the sky.

“The clouds? What could possibly be so interesting about the white puffs?” He asked sitting beside her.

She reached to pull him so he lay beside her. “You can see many things in the clouds Zev. It can be pieces of home, or silly things that you make up in your mind. When I was a child I use to spend hours simply staring at the shapes they made. Now I just find it to be a good mind occupier.” Instinctually Lyna’s hand sought Zevran’s.

“Hmm, and if those shapes happen to be of the naughty sort?” He asked turning towards her.

Lyna laughed planting a brief kiss on his lips. “Coming from you that wouldn’t surprise me. The clouds can be anything you want Zev.” She laughed again when he rolled over her. “We have to move on soon you know.”

“The others know better than to come looking for us by now. We’ll just tell them the clouds distracted us.” With those words he captured her lips again. He could feel Lyna’s lips curve into a smile.


	16. Water

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is NSFW

Water was important. It was needed to ensure survival most importantly. Water was also fun however. Especially when another person was involved. Lyna and Zevran knew this well. There were many times where they would both slip away to a nearby river, pond, or lake together. The rest of the party pretended not to notice, but Lyna caught Leliana’s smirk on more than one occasion. An expression the elf returned.

Different nights ended in different ways. Sometimes their time was spent quite childishly, usually starting when Lyna splashed Zevran. Others, however, ended more passionately. This was one of the more passionate times.

Lyna gasped as Zevran’s lips ran down her neck biting and sucking in just the right places. He pushed her back against a rock and her eyes closed in passion as her hand tangled in his hair. The other left red trails against his back. “Zev…” She whimpered when he caught the spot just below her ear. She could feel his smirk against her skin and his fingers as they trailed up her inner thigh. “Please…”

“Please what Lyna?” He asked pulling back and smirking at her glare. His fingers halted in their path.

“You’re a demon.” She hissed.

“Am I?” He asked as his hand made contact with her core and quickly found the bundle of nerves that made her mind blank. “It’s simple amor, tell me what it is you desire.”

“I want…ah….I want you Zevran.” She managed to get out. His pace increased with her words and she was panting for breath. “I want you…to take me…so…so hard that I forget…my own name.” She screamed when his fingers brought her over the edge, her body trembling in his hold.

Zevran brought his lips to hers for a heated kiss. “I can manage that.” He whispered angling himself at her entrance. He entered her with a quick upwards thrust and she gasped out a moan. His pace was fast and hard, and it didn’t take long for Lyna to near the edge again.

“Creators Zevran.” She gasped out. “I’m…” His hand moved between them back to that nub and she cried out again as her vision flashed and she tightened around him. Zevran came down right after her and they stood there recovering for a moment. “We need to go swimming more often.” Lyna said humorously when Zevran started to pull away.

He smirked at her. “I have to agree with you. Water can be all sorts of fun.” The low tone he used made her reluctant to go back to camp, but the words held a promise. She looked forward to the next body of water they found.


	17. Earth

Lyna loved the Earth. That is to say, she loved nature. Growing up in the woods had made her appreciate little things. That’s why she was so ecstatic to be going to one of the other clans. She had missed the vastness of the forest and the animals that lived within. She was grinning like a child as the party made their way through the trees.

Zevran, on the other hand, was sulking near the back. He did not share Lyna’s view on nature. In fact, he much preferred the city to the wild. Lyna noticed his distance and fell back beside him. “Something the matter Zev?”

“You have views different from mine, but I do not care for all this nature. It makes me miss the city.” He told her and she was rather amused by how irritated he was.

“Come now Zev, the forest isn’t that bad. You can see many things out here that the city never gives you the chance to see.” She told him.

“I am from Antiva; I don’t go into forests as a rule.” He grumbled and she smirked.

“Well, it seems to me that you are currently breaking that rule.” She paused in her steps and wrapped her arms around his shoulders from behind stopping his movements as well. “Besides, I happen to know a few… _interesting_ things that can be done in the more secluded areas of the woods.” She whispered into his ear. “That is if you can put up with nature long enough.”

Zevran hummed lowly. “I shall hold you to that dear warden.” He whispered back.

Lyna smirked and nipped his ear before hurrying to catch up with the others.

She didn’t hear Zevran growl under his breath. “Little minx.”


	18. Fire

The two of them spent a lot of time around the fire. In the beginning, their time was spent talking. Lyna would sit beside him and try to get to know the assassin who tried to kill her, to see if she could gage his trustworthiness. Later they talked as friends. They would tell stories of the past and things no one else knew.

After they started their affair they used the fire for other things. Zevran would position the tent entrance just so, that way no one could see in, but the fire provided enough light to illuminate Lyna’s body. Lyna used the glow to accentuate certain areas and tease Zevran when they had watch together.

The different uses they found for fire were rather creative, but in the end it always came back to one thing. Fire was used in the various ways they bonded with one another.


	19. Air

He was becoming like air to her. It was a frightening thought at first, one that was slowly turning into a rather pleasant one. She tried not to think about the risks in their relationship, tried to ignore that they walked into danger head-on every day, or that one of them could die at any given moment. She also tried to forget that she still hadn’t told him her feelings, not that she planned to.

Kissing him, feeling his skin against hers, each little touch and caress made things feel a little simpler, like he was breathing life into her. Lyna had already come to terms with the fact that she loved him, but this was at a much deeper level. If she didn’t say something soon she was certain she would regret it, but if he rejected her she would regret telling him even more.

For now, she was content with her feelings where they were, even as he became as valuable as the very air she breathed.


	20. Alone

Lyna curled more into the blankets trying to make up for the lack of warmth beside her. She understood why Zevran had to leave, the Crows were a real threat, one that needed to be handled but she still missed him terribly. The assassin had gone from her would-be-killer to her companion and friend and onward to her lover. He had been a constant in her life for the last year and had become something she relied on. She hadn’t realized how much she relied on him until he was gone.

She sighed remembering the last night he had spent with her. “Don’t worry amor, I will return to you soon. I promise.” It had been two weeks and she still wasn’t used to him being gone. Lyna knew it would take some adjusting, but she could make it through his time away. He had sent her a letter expressing his regret for his absence, especially given the growing darkspawn problem. Lyna herself was leaving for Amaranthine in the morning because of that very problem, and from there she was certain she could find a suitable distraction from Zevran’s absence.

For now, she curled up and tried to sleep feeling horribly alone.


	21. Hero

Lyna didn’t care for all the attention he knew, but she wore a smile and accepted it anyway. The Archdemon was dead and Ferelden was safe thanks to her. She was a hero to the people, something she never thought could happen. The Dalish were being seen in a new light because of her, and they were given their own lands as well.

After the ceremony, she approached him with a smile. He returned the expression. “You know, these great gatherings are an ideal time for an assassin to make their move.”

Lyna raised an eyebrow. “It’s a good thing you’re here then isn’t it?”

“Yes, no one would get past me, at least not without paying me a great deal of coin first.” The jest was clear in his voice and Lyna laughed.

“Glad to hear it.” She fell silent for a moment contemplating her words. “The blight is over and you’re no longer bound to me. What do you plan to do now?” She asked him.

“Hmm, the Crows may still come for me yet, and moving from place to place would be a good way to evade them for a while at least.” Her expression fell slightly. “However, I believe I heard you say that you will be remaining in Denerim. I would remain here with you if you would allow it.”

“Going soft on me Zev?” She joked even as the relief shone in her eyes.

“What can I say, I happen to like you. Strange isn’t it?” She smiled at him again and leaned to press her lips to his ignoring the people around them.

“I have a city to greet, but I expect to find you waiting in my quarters later.” She whispered in his ear.

“Of course mi amor.” He said mock bowing. “I am yours.”

She smirked at him before heading towards the doors. He watched her walk away. Yes, she was a hero to the people, but she was a hero to him as well.


	22. Yin and Yang

There was a time when they would have been like yin and yang. Complete opposites in every way. Lyna was a good moraled hunter that almost always did what was right. There was a time where she disapproved of killing greatly,back before her innocence had been tarnished. Back before she had her first encounter with some shems. Without their deaths, her own might have been brought about. She could still remember the moment clearly, panting as she stared at what she had done, the bloody dagger still clenched in her hand. It wasn’t as though she had come away unscathed. She had been scarred both mentally and physically. She wore the long white scars that ran across her collarbone and ribs as proof of their actions. A barbarian they had called her, a monster.

Lyna had killed the man first after he tried to have his way with her. She was pinned beneath him screaming and kicking. A well-aimed knee to the groin gave her the chance to grab her dagger and thrust it into his chest. The man had cried out swiping with his knife and catching the left side of her rib cage. She had screamed again before turning toward the woman. It was the first time she had fought someone. The woman’s blade dragged over her collarbone when she aimed for Lyna’s throat. The injury made her mind explode with pain, but she was still able to end the woman when she saw an opening.

When she returned to camp covered in blood with tattered clothes and wounds she knew she wouldn’t be the same again. She had seen the evils of the world, what lay outside the sanctity of the forest. It had been an awful experience, but Lyna knew then that she would have no trouble killing those who threatened her or her friends. For weeks after she refused to be alone around men, not even Tamlen. It was a dark time as she thought over what could have been done to her, had been done to others before her.

Lyna lay across Zevran’s chest now telling him this tale after he asked about her scars. It had become a common thing for them to do, each night they would pick a new scar and the other would tell them about it. “My morals bother you then?” Zevran had asked when she finished.

“No, at a time they would have, but not anymore. I may have no interest in blood money, but what others do is their own choice. I see the need for some people to simply cease existing. It bothers me no more than lying with you now does.” She told him tracing her fingertips over the tattoos that marked his body. “I trust you Zev, more than I ever thought I would.”

He laughed at that. “Trusting an assassin is a dangerous thing to do Lyna.” He took her wrists and turned to hover over her. “As is bedding one.”

“You haven’t killed me yet. I dare say I’m safe.” She told him with a mischievous glint in her eyes. “My days of caution and morals are all but dead Zev. You and I are more alike than you may think.”

He hummed lowly. “Perhaps you are right. Let us discuss this more after I bring the image of you crying out my name to reality.” He kissed down her neck and her laugh became a gasp.

“You are insatiable.” She told him humorously.

“As are you, dear Lyna.” He replied. His lips covered hers and she wrapped a hand in his hair.

As he ravished her body Lyna couldn’t help but feel that was where she belonged. With an assassin who had taught her his trade, with her lover who made her feel safe, with her friend who held more in common with her than once thought possible. They would have been yin and yang once, but not any longer.


	23. Friends

Zevran had not been what Lyna expected. It had been about two months since the assassin had made an attempt on their lives, and in that time she had learned much about him. She learned about his mother, and how she had been Dalish. She learned about his growing up in a whore house, and how he was bought by the Crows when he was seven. He had told her of his adventures, some made her laugh while others caused her to feel pain for him. The stories made her realize just why he acted as he did.

Things between the two of them had changed as well. She went from suspicious to wary to trusting. He had opened up more from his carefully put up shell. He had stopped being “the assassin” and became Zevran. She began to see him less as the man who tried to kill her and more as a friend.

Their relationship began small as most do. It started with telling small things to one another as they sat by the fire during watch, no one trusting Zevran to take it alone. Then it grew to them exchanging stories, and later speaking of their past and things they would normally keep to themselves.

Yes, Zevran was far from what Lyna had expected, but the flirtatious assassin made her smile. Because he had stopped being just an assassin, had stopped being a symbol of distrust. Somewhere down the line, he had turned into a friend.


	24. Silence

Sometimes Lyna felt the silence spoke more than words or sounds. In the dark of the night after everyone had turned in save whoever had watch, and Lyna and Zevran lay in the aftermath of their passions she felt the most was said. Zevran was not one to speak feelings, or even remotely hint at them. However in that span of silence she could feel that he cared for her, when his arms held her against him she could sense his protectiveness even if he would never admit to it. The fact that he stayed at all said a million different things.

Lyna knew things could change, that the chances of this lasting could be slim, but when she lay against him with nothing but the sound of his heartbeat invading her senses she could forget about that. She could forget that he was an assassin who had at one point tried to kill her and forget that he was used to closing off his heart, that he may grow tired of her still and cast her aside. For now, however, she was content with how things were.

Yes, Zevran might never speak his true feelings aloud, and might, in fact, push her away instead. In the silence, however, she was content to simply lay with him and enjoy what they had. Whether or not it was meant to last would be seen later.


End file.
